In the dark: Court directs PTA to block illegal SIMs in 15 days

Seeks report on profits earned by cellular companies through sale of SIMs.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block all illegal SIM cards within 15 days. Moreover, the court summoned the additional chief secretary of Fata, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) IGP and secretary home and tribal affairs at the next hearing.

The court also ordered PTA to carry out a comprehensive survey to determine the total number of SIMs that have been issued and are in use in K-P. It added if PTA does not comply with the order, it will have to pay the loss borne by the national exchequer over the use of illegal SIMs.



The PHC sought a report on the total profit received by various cellular companies from the sale of SIMs in the last five years. The court also wants to be informed of the law under which Afghan SIMs are being allowed to operate in Pakistan.

The order was issued by a division bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Nisar Hussain while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Atif Haleem against the use of illegal SIMs.

The petitioner informed the court SIMs of various companies are being used in acts of terrorism, extortion and kidnapping for ransom throughout the country, especially in K-P. People call and demand millions of rupees in extortion and if the police start investigation, they learn the mobile numbers from which calls were received are unregistered, claimed Haleem.

Haleem further informed the bench that despite observations of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Sindh High Court over the use of illegal SIMs in extortion and other activities, the relevant authorities had done nothing to block them.

The petitioner told the court that recently the PTA chairman said they had blocked 22 million illegal SIMs, but he has not presented a report in this regard.

After hearing the plea, the court ordered PTA to block all illegal SIMs within 15 days and produce a record showing the number of SIMs issued in the last five years and the profit generated from their sales.

The court also ordered the provincial police chief to present a complete record of the kidnapping for ransom and extortion cases in the province, and apprise the court as to the number of culprits arrested, kidnapped people recovered. The court ordered the police chief to inform them of the number of kidnapped persons who had to pay ransom in exchange for freedom.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2013.